Android US Smartphone Market Share To Drop From December

span>Android’s market share could increase in the next two quarters, beginning in June and September, and then plummet in December after Apple’s iPhone 5 has been launched, analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Co predicted.

"[…] this is just the beginning of Android’s share loss in the U.S," he remarked.

Android’s US smartphone market share dropped by almost 3% in March, reaching 49.5% and marking the first loss of market share in a three year period.

The drop was triggered by the release of Apple’s iPhone 4 on Verizon, according to Wolf. Moreover, he added that Apple could allow Sprint and T-Mobile to carry its iPhone this autumn, which means the tech giant would boost its iPhone sales further and speed up Android’s demise.

The iPhone’s US market share went up by 9% in March thanks to Verizon, Wolf suggested. On the other hand, the iPhone did not increase its market in other regions in March.

Apple could be planning to cut iPhone prices so as to grab a bigger chunk of the pie from the emerging smartphone markets, Wolf said, based on Tim Cook’s statements, Apple’s COO.

This would be a wise strategy since 53% of consumers would buy an iPhone if its price was lower, while only 30% would be willing to buy the gadget at its current price, according to a recent survey.